A Look Back at James Bond 007, 1962-2012

The latest Bond film is coming soon and as the new installment is bringing back some of the older staples, I thought it was time for a look back at the previous incarnations of the silver screen.  



Sean Connery: Connery was the original for five consecutive films and most of the trademark Bondisms surfaced during his tenure.  His smooth and classy nature, Walter PPK, and three word introduction appeared in Dr. No, along with the characters M and Miss Moneypenny.  Q and his gadgets appeared in next film, From Russia With Love, along with Connery's recurring villain, Blofeld head of the criminal organization, S.P.E.C.T.R.E..  Connery operated almost exclusively in the 1960s at the height of Cold War hostility and had all the issues therein to deal with.  He often had to avert a nuclear threat between the superpowers or a private party.
Also appears in: Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever (see below), and Never Say Never Again (non-canonical remake of Thunderball) 


George Lazenby: Lazenby was the first to step into the role after Connery in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  A lot about the role was changed along with the actor.  It seemed like there was a very active effort to remind the audiences of the change.  For example, his tuxedo shirt had ruffles (really?!!), he kissed Moneypenny on the lips for the first/only time, and most significantly, his overall spy strength was reduced to make him more human.  While it all made for a nice drama, this approach conflicted very harshly against the audience expectations for the character.  After all, we had seen him evade bad guys without getting scared, seduce women without settling down, and just be generally awesome.  Had the human approach been done earlier, it might have stuck, but after five movies, it was too much too late.  Lazenby ended up leaving the role of his own accord, making the film a very retconned chapter in the character's history.  

Connery Returns: As Bond entered the 1970s, Connery returned to the role for Diamonds Are Forever.  It was a fitting finale to his tenure in many ways, as the movie concluded with the defeat of Blofeld, leader of S.P.E.C.T.R.E..  It also introduced the first super-weapon of the films, something that would recur until the reboot in 2005.  It is unfortunate that Connery didn't stay consistently for a more even tenure of continuity. 


Roger Moore: Starting with Live and Let Die, James Bond fully transitioned into the 1970s with the interpretation of Roger Moore.  Moore held the role the longest, and under his tenure, several changes occurred.  I've heard him described as the "tackiest Bond" of them all.  Well, the 70s were a tacky decade and the character adapted to that.  He wore colored suits, drove trendy cars, and switched from cigarettes to the more masculine cigars.  Moore played the debonair playboy, being extremely aggressive in his approach to women.  He also put on the most airs by being extremely polite, though snide, when dealing with his villains.   During this time, the films began to abandon the original Flemming stories, keeping the title only.  It also included the first recasting of M after the death of Bernard Lee.  Moore's last film, A View to a Kill, brought Bond into the computer age.
Also appears in: Man With the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, and Octopussy


Timothy Dalton: Though he only did two films, Dalton cut out his own portrayal of the character with the influence of other action heroes of the 80s.  It was also Dalton's casting that established the true agelessness of the character or the theory that Bond is actually many men with the same alias.  Moore had been close enough in age to Connery that character seemed to age consistently, but Dalton was much younger than either of them.  His portrayal differed as well.  He was more rugged and less classy, often sporting casual mountain wear instead of suits and ties.  He also started smoking cigarettes again, and would be last Bond to do so.  His approach to women was also softened, being more romantic than seductive.  Many times, the women made passes at him rather than the reverse.  Dalton also had several lasts in his line of continuity.  His first film, The Living Daylights, would be the last film in main continuity to be based on a Flemming title and the last Cold War story (not counting the opening scene of GoldenEye).  Unfortunately, production difficulties robbed him of the chance of performing the role further.  
Also appears in: License to Kill


Pierce Brosnan: After a slightly longer delay in production, Bond returned in 1990s with Brosnan at the lead in GoldenEye.  Brosnan cut against the portrayal of Dalton.  He was more a contemporary of Moore by being classy, politely snarky, and a bit sleazy.  The super-weapons also returned with a vengeance, with one appearing in every film.  The Brosnan tenure also brought in some elements that would ultimately destroy his line of continuity.  Increases in budget and the accessibility of computer effects gave the films a more epic tone which eventually pushed the character into ridiculous shark jumping.  The stories also lost political topicality without the Cold War as a backdrop.  The closest they came was the appearance of North Korea in Die Another Day, but that was more about gadgets and super-weapons than politics.  
Also appears in: Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough


Daniel Craig: The general dissatisfaction with the final Brosnan films gave producers the incentive to do an aggressive reboot, and begin with the first Fleming novel, Casino Royale.  Most of the inspiration came from the successful Jason Bourne films.  Craig's portrayal accents most of the changes.  The snark and wit that had been a staple since Connery is gone, along with the charismatic charm.  He is still classy, but as Vesper Lynd put it, he "wears it with such disdain."  Physicality also plays a greater role.  Craig is significantly more muscular than previous Bonds and we see him perform aggressive stunt work and more brutal hand-to-hand combat.  As this is a reboot, the writers have been gradually re-introducing the Bond elements, starting with Bond's promotion to Double-O status and moving on.  Q and and his Walter PPK are coming in Skyfall.  Interestingly, the presence of Judi Dench's M from the Bronsan era gives credibility to the multiple Bonds theory, but it's not conclusive.  Skyfall also marks the second time the Ian Fleming titles have been abandoned in favor of original ones. 
Also appears in: Quantum of Solace